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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771399">To Find Family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceClaw/pseuds/AceClaw'>AceClaw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Warrior Nun (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Big Sister Shotgun Mary, Character Study, F/F, Found Family, Gen, Little Sister Ava Silva, Protectiveness, Sister-Sister Relationship, and they love her, ava loves her new family, except ava and beatrice, first fic, light? angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:33:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,690</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25771399</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceClaw/pseuds/AceClaw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ava was still amazed by her new family - by the fact that she had a family. With them, Ava felt cared for, loved, and safe. In a way she hadn’t quite known was possible.</p>
<p>Or, a closer look at how Ava feels about each of the Sisters.</p>
<p>Plus, how they feel about Ava.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun) &amp; Ava Silva, Sister Beatrice &amp; Ava Silva, Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Camila &amp; Ava Silva, Sister Lilith &amp; Ava Silva</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>232</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! </p>
<p>Never written a fic before, but I loved Warrior Nun and decided to try it out. I couldn't get enough of the characters and their interactions.</p>
<p>Hopefully it's alright and y'all enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ava was still amazed by her new family -- by the fact that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> a family. Alone for so many years, yet denied any sense of personal freedom. She had Diego, of course (Ava would never dare to forget the one kind soul from her first life). But their relationship was different than the ones she had formed with the Sisters. With them, Ava felt cared for, loved -- safe. In a way she hadn’t quite known was possible.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Camilla was light. Compassionate in the way she checked in with her Sisters everyday, tone so sincere and eyes so kind one might forget she was still a warrior. Which would be a dangerous mistake. Because Camila fought with light as well -- the light of a carefully-stoked flame.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What Ava loved most about Camila, however, was that she was simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Perhaps it was because she had been a Sister Warrior for less time than the others. Perhaps it was because that’s just who she was. Regardless, Ava found a semblance of normalcy with Camila. It was hard to identify at first, as it had been over a decade and a death since she had felt "normal".</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As much as she enjoyed the different brands of banter she had with the others, it was almost always in the context of something more serious, more substantial. Camila could make her feel like she was a teenaged girl, rather than the Halo-bearer, champion of God. They would talk about trivial things and laugh and sometimes Camila would try to teach Ava a melody on the piano and then they’d laugh some more when Ava’s fine motor skills inevitably failed her. (Another thing Ava had needed to get used to)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Camila was also very observant, Ava had discovered. She was probably the first to clue into the connection between Ava and Beatrice, the two in question included. While she could appear innocent and naive, Camila had a delicate yet purposeful touch when it came to emotions. Manipulative would be too crass a description, but she knew when to push others and when to pull. Always with their best interests in mind, of course, because she was nothing if not kind. Camila simply wanted to foster happiness in others and she knew how to do exactly that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ava was still unsure where she stood in terms of religion. Obviously, in light of recent events, there was some degree of truth to the stories, but she still had her doubts. Because while she had seen more good than she had ever expected, there had also been plenty of examples of corruption and evil. Yet, there was something beautiful about the purity of Camila’s faith. It had not been her saving grace or her lifeline or her legacy -- Camila had known happiness before the Church. She chose, and continued to choose, to believe. And Ava thought that, maybe, she could get behind that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith was… complicated, to say the least. They had a strange bond, which was to be expected, all things considered. In the span of a minute, Lilith had gone from almost taking Ava’s life to saving it. Despite the unorthodox beginning, though, there was an attachment that was at once quiet and fierce.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy to see the differences between the two girls. Lilith was serious and hard, while Ava defaulted to humour and was as excitable as a puppy. Lilith had grown up as part of an incredible legacy, greatness was expected of her. Nothing was expected of Ava -- there wasn’t anyone who cared enough to even consider it. Lilith was, to some degree, part demon; in contrast to Ava’s quite literal connection to God.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And yet, beneath the facade of opposition, they possessed similarities. Circumstances may have been vastly disparate, but neither one was a stranger to being trapped. Ava physically by her quadriplegia and Lilith in every way but by the pressure of her inheritance. Their relationship with death was also shared between the two. Brought back, in one way or another, with new abilities thrust upon them, chained to some mysterious </span>
  <em>
    <span>purpose</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So while their paradoxical connection should have been confusing, Ava felt that it just fit. Lilith was still demanding when they trained, never pulling her punches, but would now offer a hand up and instruction when needed. In turn, Ava did her best to take it more seriously -- she had a better understanding of the stakes and her responsibility. Innocent lives were at stake, her </span>
  <em>
    <span>family’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> lives were at stake, so Ava was determined to learn to do better, be better. And there was a lot to be learned from the once-potential Halo-bearer. Lilith was brave and bold and resilient. Sometimes prideful -- to which Ava could relate, but she tempered it with self-discipline.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A middle ground was paved between the two by life-saving heroics, easy forgiveness, and jabs softened by smirks. Maybe they would never be best friends. Maybe that didn’t matter. They were sisters, and that was all Ava really needed to know. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mary was a badass. Brash, unapologetic, sarcastic -- a force to be reckoned with. Her name was freaking “Shotgun Mary” for crying out loud. She reminded Ava of her favorite characters from the countless action movies she watched. But the way Mary treated her also reminded Ava of the older sisters in the family shows -- Ava could never stick with those, bitterness and jealousy twisting her stomach painfully, but Diego had loved them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whenever Ava did (or said) something stupid, Mary had absolutely no qualms about calling her out on it, complete with threats that would have been terrifying if they weren’t so obviously empty. Well, most of the time -- Ava wasn’t going to forget the cliff incident anytime soon. Even if her body did almost instantly thanks to the Halo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She teased her, gave her a hard time, and didn’t put up with her shit, but Mary always had faith in Ava. Faith that she would come back to Cat’s Cradle, that she would get through the tomb. That still surprised Ava sometimes. No one had truly believed in her besides Diego, but that was the blind confidence of a child who hadn't known better.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mary’s dry wit and nonplussed attitude had instantly made Ava warm up to her. Unlike the other three, Mary wasn’t a nun and certainly didn’t act like one. It was refreshing and relieving for Ava, who was often overwhelmed by her sudden and complete immersion into the Catholic Church. Mary was a straight-shooter -- literally and metaphorically, so when she gave her advice or encouragement, Ava took it to heart, and when she complimented her, Ava practically preened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To some degree, she idolized Mary. However, while Ava wasn’t always the most socially competent or observant, it was hard to miss the parts of Mary that made her all too real. In the quiet moments, Ava would see the ghost of a private smile and a distant glint in Mary’s eyes, a heartbreaking echo of nostalgia. Ava would feel a pang of misplaced guilt, knowing the source if not the specific cause of that look.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mary was extremely loyal to and protective of the people she cared about, and Ava somehow found herself included in that short list. They had the most sibling-like relationship in their group and Ava loved it. She wondered if she had ever made Diego feel as safe as Mary had her. She hoped so. Mary had her back, and Ava did her best to return the favor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <span>Beatrice was, in every way, extraordinary. Objectively speaking, of course. She knew at least a half dozen languages, as many martial arts, and was incredibly beautiful. So maybe it was slightly subjective, but Ava would quite literally fight anyone who disagreed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The first to offer her an ear, hand, shoulder, Beatrice gave Ava a look at what all nuns should be -- kind, compassionate, wise. Everything Sister Frances had not been. They were very different, Beatrice’s calm, calculating, precise demeanor was in sharp contrast to Ava’s loud, reckless, chaotic energy. Yet, Beatrice seemed to understand Ava better than anyone else in either of her lives ever had. Perhaps she was exactly what Ava had wanted, needed, hoped for -- a strong, unyielding presence that felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>enduring</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t quite sure what they were at the moment. Something deeper than friends, different from sisters. They were connected, though, that much was certain. Their lives were drawn by the same artist. Fates written by a single hand. Ava felt it, and she hoped Beatrice did also, but there was always room for doubt. And even if Beatrice did, Ava wasn’t sure if either of them were ready for whatever came after a confession. Beatrice was still coming to terms with her identity while Ava was discovering and defining hers. Not to mention the whole nun thing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So Ava would, for now, simply cherish the companionship. Which was certainly no hardship. Beatrice put off an unaffected air to most, but to their family she was incredibly </span>
  <em>
    <span>soft</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Rarely would she initiate or request affection, yet she would never deny the comfort to others. Her touches were solid, grounding, warm. Ever the serious soldier, Beatrice was no-nonsense -- that was, until she realized Ava responded better to humor in crisis situations and, suddenly, she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>punning</span>
  </em>
  <span> and that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>their thing now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Yeah, Ava was pretty lucky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beatrice was beautiful and incredible and kind and had shown Ava a path to being a part of something greater, something meaningful. She had been brave enough to let Ava see a side of her normally veiled and shrouded by learned behaviors of denial. In turn, Ava had been uncharacteristically sincere and honest. They crafted a give-and-take that brought each of them closer to each other and themselves.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now that she had this family, Ava was determined to keep it. Not only was she given a second chance at life, she was graced with something worth living for, worth dying for, worth fighting for. Ava’s instincts had shifted. Where the Sisters were concerned, she would fight with everything she and the Halo had. Ava would protect them and all of their hidden vulnerabilities; Camila’s purity, Lilith’s inner demons, Mary’s broken heart, Beatrice’s insecurities. Ava would prove Sister Frances wrong, she wouldn’t be a burden anymore, she wouldn’t screw up this magnificent gift. Ava knew she would never be Shannon, but she would try her damnedest to not let her down.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How the Sisters' perspectives of Ava changed and developed.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First, I just want to thank everyone who read, left a kudo, and/or commented! I wasn't really expecting much feedback, let alone all of the support I received - I am extremely grateful to all of you :)</p><p>Secondly, I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter out sooner. I promise I meant to! But classes start next week and I was moving in and suddenly it had been a week! So, without any further ado - here you go</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ava had caught them all by surprise. An unexpected factor that had blindsided the group of warriors at the worst time. Still grieving Shannon, the new Halo-Bearer seemed to only be another blow to their crumbling foundation. Unpredictable, inexperienced, impertinent. When they had needed someone to take charge, to lead, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>unite </span>
  </em>
  <span>their broken pieces. Yet, one by one, each Sister found themselves inexplicably charmed by the stranger.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Camila found it relatively easy to discern the good intentions of others. Her mother had taught her to seek out the motivations of people, often concealed by anger or pain or jealousy. Because of this, it hadn’t taken long for her to warm up to Ava. She certainly had her... quirks, but Camila saw absolutely nothing malicious from the girl. That was enough for her to feel confident befriending Ava.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At first, Camila had just wanted to help her adjust to the Church, give her a warmer welcome than she was sure Lilith and Mother Superion had. She loved them both dearly, but amiable, they were not. Camila quickly realized, however, that her self-assigned mission required a much broader scope. So she took it upon herself to facilitate Ava’s introduction to the more frivolous and lighthearted sides of life, figuring the others could handle the darker -- yet decidedly necessary -- aspects.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava had a surprisingly abundant wealth of arbitrary knowledge (from television, Camila later learned), but was slightly deficient in more standard education and had a severe deficit in personal experience. To rectify this, they’d spend a little time each day together playing piano or practicing penmanship or pulling pranks or a million other things. Whatever Ava might have lacked in skill, she made up for in spades with her enthusiasm. She threw herself into every activity with the intent of enjoying it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Surrounded only by other nuns -- many of whom were rather sombre and sometimes, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>boring</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Camila was thrilled to have Ava. Who brought, one way or another, </span>
  <em>
    <span>excitement</span>
  </em>
  <span> into their lives. She challenged them, but not how they had ever anticipated. Ava poked and prodded at people and ideas simply because she could. Seemingly without any fear of punishment, of retribution. Camila </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. She’d sit back, smirking, and watch the inevitable show with great interest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Camila was still relatively new to the OCS, but she had been taken in almost immediately by Shannon and the others. They looked out for her and helped her and protected her. Now, it was time for her to return the favor. Both to them and Ava. Mary, Lilith, and Beatrice were being torn apart, but Ava was good for them -- she could see it. They needed someone to remind them of life beyond the Church, someone to rally around. Ava needed direction, stability. And if they were all going to continue to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>stubborn</span>
  </em>
  <span>, well, Camila would just have to help it along. Impatience was a trait she and Ava shared.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lilith had a difficult time connecting to people. All her life, she had been hyper-focused on becoming the Halo-Bearer -- not through her fault alone. It had been the only purpose her family had ever known, and, therefore, the only purpose they had seen of or for her. Thus, came the first problem with Ava.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere down the line, purpose morphed into obligation and twisted into near obsession. To have that… </span>
  <em>
    <span>imbecile</span>
  </em>
  <span> take her legacy -- her </span>
  <em>
    <span>birthright</span>
  </em>
  <span> -- brought a dark, covetous, malicious side of Lilith roaring to the surface. Her justifications were paper thin; she was not serving the Church or even Cardinal Duretti, she was serving her own pride and desperate need to alleviate some of the pressure on her shoulders. Perhaps if it had been one of the other Sisters, Lilith could have better controlled herself, but Ava was a slap to the face of her studies, her training, her life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then she had seen Ava’s terrified expression, eyes wide with panic. Then she had been impaled, fiery pain searing her insides. Then she made a round trip to Hell. She was at once harder and softer. Confusion and clarity were winding, gnarled roots digging through her mind. Lilith may have had her creed torn to shreds by disturbingly familiar claws, but her most intrinsic sense of self had been restored. She wanted to do good, </span>
  <em>
    <span>be </span>
  </em>
  <span>good. And she </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to protect her Sisters and the Warrior Nun (even if her mind sometimes insisted that it was the Halo).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lilith had never been the first to reach out. To anyone. Somehow, though, she had found herself dragged into their little family that Shannon had created. Ava had warily welcomed Lilith back, only to decidedly forgive her moments later. Lilith was still amazed. Maybe it was the guilt, or the mysterious demonic voice in her head, or childlike qualities of Ava -- it was likely some strange amalgamation of the three, but Lilith was driven to keep her safe. In a strange turn of events, Ava had become an addition to Lilith’s extremely exclusive inner circle. She cared about her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava was infuriating and selfish and forgiving and brave. It had taken Lilith a while to realize that, but now she couldn’t deny it. Ava had struggled through devastating adversity in life, death, and resurrection. Occasionally, and understandably, a bit self-interested and oblivious, but never cruel or unkind, and disarmingly compassionate. Ava may have had a long way to go in terms of becoming the Halo-Bearer in any physical facet, but Lilith could now see what the Halo had found worthy within Ava. Her heart. So Lilith was intent on preparing Ava to handle the resultant responsibilities she knew all too well. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary saw a lot of herself in Ava. For better or worse, she wasn’t quite sure. She understood the reluctance to buy in, to have </span>
  <em>
    <span>faith</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Mary was not a nun, nor would she ever be. That life was too restricting, too hypocritical; she could accomplish just as much, if not more, unattached. The OCS, on the other hand, had given her a home and a family and a chance to try to right some of the wrongs in the world. Mary was sick of seeing evil run rampant, she wanted to clean up some of the shit, and she could see that in Ava as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Risks were certainly not unfamiliar to Mary, she knew she often toed the line with, well, most things. So she knew very well that leaving Ava in Ronda was a risk, but she was as confident in this one as she had ever been. Ava was a good kid -- Mary was sure of that, especially if the Halo had seen anything resembling Shannon. She missed Shannon. Every day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was bittersweet. Being around Ava. She was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>different</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the previous Warrior Nun, but there were moments -- flashes, of the same determination that had burned in </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>eyes. And Mary remembers a concerningly mischievous glint that had appeared in Shannon’s eyes on the rare easy day, one that was almost a constant in Ava’s. It was hard. It was healing. Mary just hoped she could save this Halo-Bearer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary wasn’t blind, she could see that Ava looked up to her. The kid was like a puppy most of the time -- affectionate, expressive, and hyperactive. Seriously, when Ava wasn’t phasing through walls, she was basically jumping off of them. Mary thought she had rolled her eyes more in the past few weeks than she had in the rest of her life. Still, she couldn’t help but care about the dumbass; Mary felt responsible for her. So she’d put up with the ridiculous antics of their newest sister and make sure her head stayed straight and firmly </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava had given her a reason to stay after Shannon. Mary would have come back… eventually. But she would have found any and every reason to get out of Cat’s Cradle until then. Everything about the OCS was tied to the Halo, was tied to the Halo-</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bearer</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe it was because Ava had reminded Mary of herself, maybe it was because she felt she owed it to Shannon, maybe she was looking for </span>
  <em>
    <span>just one</span>
  </em>
  <span> reason to stay with her Sisters. Regardless, Mary was glad she was still with her family, which now included one frustratingly goofy and likable Warrior Nun.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beatrice had been the first to be drawn in. She had years and years of practice in distancing herself from inconvenient emotions, or those that might have impeded her ability to perform her duty. So despite her lingering grief and her apprehension concerning Ava, it was their responsibility to mold her into a capable Warrior Nun; Beatrice was determined to be, at the very least, civil.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Forced civility, however, quickly transformed into sympathy, amusement, affection, and then something… </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Somewhere between patched wounds, ridiculous wordplay, enlightening journals, and twenty feet of rock, a bond was forged between the two. Beatrice hadn’t fallen for Ava, per se -- she was much too self-aware to not understand what had been developing. No, she was sliding surely and steadily, towards a place she had worked for so long to avoid. A place she hadn’t ever imagined nearing. Beatrice wasn’t quite sure if she was terrified or exhilarated. She wasn’t quite sure she cared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Halo-Bearer confused Beatrice. Not in any concrete or discernible fashion, more like a general feeling of unsteadiness. Unsettled, but in the most pleasantly exciting way. The girl seemed to have a distinct knack for questioning everything Beatrice found faith in, yet did so in such a way that inevitably led to unknown truths (not just about the Church, either). Ava discovered beauty in the hidden. Nothing was taken at face-value, a rather rare perspective in a culture designed around unanimous conviction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava was </span>
  <em>
    <span>vibrant</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Where so much of Beatrice had been muted, Ava was bursting with saturation. Enough to brighten others, to brighten her. Thoughts and feelings and jokes and </span>
  <em>
    <span>touches</span>
  </em>
  <span>. All unfiltered. It had and would continue to get her into trouble, but Beatrice couldn’t help but marvel a bit at how freely and unapologetically Ava let herself experience the world. Made anew by the power of the Halo, Ava approached unfamiliar territories with an almost childlike wonder that made Beatrice want to both laugh and cry. Ava had missed so much in her first life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spontaneity bred recklessness, however, and Beatrice feared the situations Ava might stumble clumsily into. Ava had a dangerous combination of false bravado and a deeply seeded desire to prove herself. Beatrice was not quite sure to whom, exactly -- perhaps everyone. Her tendency to provoke verbally certainly didn’t help, either. It frustrated Beatrice to no end, often leaving her to perform clean-up. But, mostly, it just worried her. Therefore, Beatrice resolved to do her best to guide Ava and remain by her side, where she could keep an eye on her. Not the worst job, she could admit only to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <span>Ava had been a shock, yes, but not nearly as terrible as they had assumed. Quite the opposite, actually. Somehow, she brought out both the best and worst in each of them, forcing them to take a closer look at themselves and each other. It was almost worrying, how quickly they had become </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the young girl. Unfortunately, they were starting to notice the signs. The ones they had seen only in hindsight with Shannon, when it had been much too late. While Ava’s ignorance to the severity of the situation had been exasperating at first, it was starting to bear down on her. Just as it did with Shannon. This time, however, the Sisters would protect the Halo-Bearer -- they would lend their shoulders and hearts.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This got a bit more introspective, especially with Lilith, then I had planned. I hope it was still true to their characters and captured how they see Ava. I love their little family, so I'd hate to not do them justice. </p><p>Thanks for reading - Hope you enjoyed it :)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!</p>
<p>I'm working on a second chapter with the Sisters' thoughts :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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